#Themed Malls

[hong-kong-art-man]

Shopping Is Always A Pleasurable Culture. What Are The 5 Kinds Of Shopping Malls In Hong Kong?

We like shopping. We are not the wave, but part of the ocean so far as shopping is concerned. Life is terrible wrestling. When we shop, our bodies release dopamine, the ‘feel-good hormone’. The more we shop, the better we feel. Right?

Leslie Fok(霍俊熹) was born in Canada. He graduated from University of Toronto and returned to work in Hong Kong. He now manages a very special shopping mall called ‘D2 Place’ which is an attempt to build up a community centre among the creative and cultural groups. He is an expert in the branding and marketing of malls.  

My natural curiosity led me to ask, “What are the different malls in Hong Kong?” Leslie replied without doubt, “There are 5 kinds: luxury malls, mainstream malls, neighbourhood malls, themed malls and community hubs.”  

He explained, “Famed luxury brands like Chanel, Prada, Burberry and Hermes have secured their place in these grand malls to cater for affluent locals and travellers. These luxury malls are such as Harbour City, Pacific Place, Elements and Landmark. Customers like these malls because they are usually high class and chic, and this will contribute to their sense of social pride. Every detail in a ‘luxury mall’ is meant to be on par with what a rich man wants” 

Leslie paused, “Mainstream malls cater for ordinary tourists and local people who have a higher-than-average spend. Times Square in Causeway Bay and APM in Kwun Tong are very good examples. Rental income is usually the main objective of a mainstream mall. They try to accommodate the widest possible range of customers on each floor. One floor may sell sports shoes but another floor may sell household appliances.” I laughed, “Mainstream malls are like high-class hypermarkets.”  

I said, “I don’t go to luxury malls as I don’t need most of the things there. I love neighbourhood malls because I can wear flip-flops.” Leslie smiled, “Neighbourhood malls sell daily convenience goods such as foodstuff, personal care products and casual wear. They satisfy the day-to-day needs of people who live or work in the local area and may include ancillary services such as a bank. These malls are very basic & there is nothing fancy. The malls in our public housing estates are mostly neighbourhood malls.”  

Leslie continued, “The intent of the 4th kind i.e. a themed mall is simple and straightforward—to attract a specific group of customers to buy things there. The clear examples are outlet malls, furniture malls and electronics malls etc. Themed centres are bound to alienate some shoppers who will turn their noses up at the singular nature of these places. Customers here are just eager to buy what they desire in only one location because time is money. It is easier for them to compare prices too.”

Leslie said, “The final kind is more than a mall. It is a place where birds of the same feather can flock together. I am working out a mall called ‘D2 Place’ where I want the creative and cultural youngsters to gather for enlightening social events, recreational activities and perhaps educational classes. I label it as a ‘community hub’ and it provides a great place for young people to hang out, make new friends and display their full potential. The sense of community belonging boosts the spiritual well-being of a young person as well.” 

I added, “There may be the 6th type of mall called an ‘art mall’. It is a new trend. Such a mall combines the features of a museum and shopping centre. It carries a mission which is to enrich the daily life of a customer through the power of art and culture. In Hong Kong, some malls claim they are devoted to this great cause.” Leslie replied, “This type of mall is not yet a mature model. Dream is valiant. Let’s wait to see if there will be any handicap to this missionary development.” 

Leslie concluded our conversation, “With the rise of e-commerce, people are less likely to visit malls for shopping needs. This has resulted in a decrease in foot traffic and consequently, a decrease in sales. Mall shops are struggling to keep up with the competition from online retailers. Mall rental is generally high in Hong Kong. What has made it more difficult for mall operators here is that people don’t like malls which are more than 4 storeys. Customers dislike long walk. They prefer quick entry and exit in relation to a mall. This is why the ground floor rental of a mall is much higher.”  Shopping is always a good culture. There are however too many malls in Hong Kong. For a shopping centre without a focus or edge, the place is doomed for failure. Apart from the wacky consumerism pertinent to a shopping mall, I do hope it can also be another ideal place to incubate the alternative cultural civilization of a special city like Hong Kong.

Maurice Lee

Chinese Version 中文版: https://www.patreon.com/posts/huo-jun-xi-xiang-87829720?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link 

Songkran 2023 @ D2 Place Acknowledgement – D2 Place ONE

Leslie Fok Interview@D2 Place Top 10 Artisans Award Presentation Ceremony 2022 Acknowledgement-D2 Place ONE

Hong Kong Tung Chung Citygate Outlets short walk (Themed Mall) Acknowledgement- Hong Kong Wandering TV

Hong Kong Shopping Malls (Luxury Malls) Acknowledgement-allthegoodles Travel

[evan-collins90]

Ontario Mills Mall - Ontario, CA (1996)

Designed by F+A Architects

Scanned from 'Vertigo - the Strange New World of the Contemporary City' (1999)

[one-time-i-dreamt]

Nintendo owned a huge chunk of Antarctica, and built a Legend of Zelda theme park on it. The theme park was just a mall, with no Legend of Zelda stuff in it.

[zmbiefood]

my fav living dead dolls<3

school time sadie / sybil / toxic molly variant / mildread / maggot / killbaby / sabbath blood variant / peggy goo / sweet 16 sadie

[sanrioblr]

★。＼｜／。★

[daily-basil]

Perhaps a Basil holding hands with a snuuy

They're at a Christmas market

[s-stargrrl-l]

𝙿𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚎 𝙸𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚘

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

the absolutely Vivid reality based chronological dream i had last night. man

[a-dotrivenitupontop]

letterboxd lists be like ‘films that personally kicked the patriarchy in the nuts and saved every woman ever ✨’ and it’s Peppa Pig’s Big Girly Shopping Trip

[mylittleredgirl]

my biggest problem with deadlines is that months feel like entirely discrete entities. i don't even use wall calendars anymore but as a concept it really stuck with me. april 1st is on an entirely different page than march 31st. might as well be next year. next century. the countdown toward any particular date next month doesn't begin until 12:01 on the 1st and somehow despite a lifetime of evidence to the contrary i refuse to believe otherwise.

[andrevasims]

1999 Ghost Blasters | Sally Corporation Dark Ride

[boltlightning]

having the villains in potc be unkillable in such dangerous situations is really brilliant. the supernatural elements are obviously sick, and i'm sure there's something smart to say here about the deadly nature of the sea and all that. but i'm here to talk about how the undeath raises the stakes in such a fun way: you gotta scheme around in order to kill your enemies, AND it automatically means every battle is not simply life or death. you have to out pirate the pirates thoroughly, you can't just blast them with cannons. i know i'm pointing out the obvious here but man potc really uses every element of the setting to the fullest extent

[folkloregirlfriend]

where did you go where they had such beautiful paintings what the fuck i wanna come too

there was an art and handicraft type fair at the metro station today they have it like every month and there are soooo many paintings and posters and mangas and bookmarks and like funko pop figures of all of these😭😭😭 and you know this week i'm going to the book fair too there will be a lot of all this DO YOU WANT SOMETHING I'LL GET IT FOR YOU it's so cheap here this one book stall owner knows me last year he gave me 3 books for 150 😭

[zmbiefood]

(x)

[valencock]

I don't celebrate my birthday, I celebrate 'change my age in bio day'

[booksunet]

close enough, welcome back unus annus.